Banners are constructed by images, Text, JavaScript and multimedia objects (flash, shockwave etc). On clicking the banner, the visitor is directed to the website for which the advertisement is placed. Banner design needs lots of research and attractive content to get the visitor to act on seeing it. Below are 8 tips on how to make an effective banner design for your business advertising:

1. Headline: Before designing your banner spend some time to create an effective
headline; something that encourages viewer to click on the banner. Headline should be small and appealing.

2. Related Content: Ensure that content displayed on your banner is related to services or products you are offering on your site. Be specific; users may click on the banner but may not buy anything from your online store, if they do not find for what they are searching. Give them what they are looking for, to get better sales.

3. Use your Logo and URL: If your motive is to promote your brand name then include both logo and website address in your banner. Make sure that you don’t take the visitor attention off the headline while mentioning your website and its URL. Keep your logo small and use small text to display website address.

4. Use the word “free” or “click here” in your banner: Use of “free” or “click here” word in your banner design can increase CTR (click through ratio). Human nature makes a person to check out anything that is for free. If you are giving something free on your web shopping store, then add a line which highlights it.

5. File size: banner is displayed on webpage when it loads on viewer’s web browser. It should load fast and before the visitor moves on to the next page. Short web banner file size increases the loading speed of the banner when user opens the web page. It is advisable to keep file size as small as possible. To reduce file size minimize the use of animations and heavy pictures in your banner.

6. Colors and Fonts: Instead of using black and white color use bright colors for your banner design. Use colors that represent your business and match with webpage on which banner is placed. Use font types that improve the readability of banner.

7. Professional Design: Get a professional look for your banner. If you cannot do it yourself, hire a professional banner designer to create a quality banner. Remember a good banner can make your day and a bad one can create a negative impact about your company image on the visitors.

8. Time: most of the internet users spend less than 10 seconds at the top portion of the
website. This time is crucial and you have to convey your message within this time.

Affiliate program is a perfect way to make your site more profitable. Banners are extensively used for this purpose. Its concept revolves around making more commission and sales. Under this program, a website places its web banner or text link on other related sites in order to get more network traffic. When a viewer clicks on this banner or text link, he or she is diverted to the website which advertises the banner. If the user makes some transactions on the site, then the website that provided the link to you gets some amount of commission. In certain cases, payment is based on the number of clicks.

An effective banner design always gets more clicks. The effectiveness of your banner is based on its layout, colors and animation etc., Before selecting your banner size, find out what size is acceptable on the site where you want to display your banner ad. You can use gif images or flash to animate your banner. Flash banners get better responses than gif banners. However, the main drawback of a flash banner is that it increases the load time of the banner.

The most popular banner size is 468X60 pixels. It is present in the recent version of Photoshop. Before deciding your banner size, make sure that the site where you want to display it will accept a banner of that size. Following is the list of standard banner sizes:

Banners and Buttons:

234 x 60 pixels (Half Banner)

392 x 72 pixels (Full banner with vertical navigation bar)

120 x 240 pixels (Vertical Banner)

125 x 125 pixels (Square Button)

120 x 90 pixels (Button 1)

120 x 60 pixels (Button 2)

88 x 31 pixels (Micro Button)

728X90 pixels (Leader Board)

Rectangle and Pop-Ups:

300X250 pixels (Medium Rectangle)

205X250 pixels (Square Pop Up)

336X280 pixels (Large Rectangle)

180X150 pixels (Rectangle)

Skyscrapers:

160X600 pixels (Wide Skyscraper)

120X600 pixels (Skyscraper)

300X600 pixel (Half Page Ad)

Your banner design should also be compatible with the webpage. It should look like a part of the web page.